There was once a little boy. He came from a city called Edo in a land called Nippon. Every day he felt so lonely in that city, in that land. One day, after feeling particularly lonely, he decided that the best thing he could do now was to go out into the world and find himself a friend.

Following the sun, he headed west, from his city and country, to the large country across the sea. He was very tired from his journey across his homeland and across the sea, but he did not having any trouble in finding a person in that large country west of home.

That large country had a habit of calling itself the 'Middle Kingdom'.

There, in that Middle Kingdom, he met a boy his age. The little nihonjin bowed. "I am called Yuy. Please forgive me. Treat me favorably."

The chuugokujin frowned at the boy bowing in front of him. "Treat you favorably? You've got to fucking be kidding me!" The boy from the Middle Kingdom snorted. "This asshole thinks I can just forget what his people did to us? After giving you primitive little fuckers culture, you wanted to fuck with us. You think you're better than us? Get out of here!"

The nihonjin was sad. He bowed his head even lower and made his way to the docks. There, merchant ships took him far, far away from the Middle Kingdom and towards the west.

When he finally got off the ship, he was in a dry, acrid land. Arabia. He looked around, frightened a bit. His lush, mountainous homeland is nothing like this flat wasteland.

He felt so confused as he wandered through the marketplace. All these people where so different from him, even more so than the chuugokujin had been. The goods on sale were so foreign to him. He wanted to take them all home and show them to his people, so that they too could have such things.

"Man I help you?" said a blond arabiajin that was manning one of the stands.

"You have many beautiful things here," the nihonjin said with awe in his voice before he came to his senses. Embarrassed at his forwardness, he bowed at the merchant with reverence. "Please forgive me."

The blond arabiajin blushed. "Everything is quite alright. Is there anything you need?"

The little nihonjin bowed deeper. "Forgive me for the rudeness I am about to commit, but I am without friends in this strange land. With your indulgence and favor, would I be so bold to ask of your assistance in leading me in this strange land?"

The blond arabiajin blinked in confusion. "Well, I'm busy today. My dad is out for the day and I have to man the shop. I really can't help you. Sorry."

With that, the blond arabiajin gave the nihonjin a sad smile and went to the back, never to return. The little nihonjin bowed his head in sorrow at the defeat and went back to the boats.

He boarded the first ship out of Arabia and found himself again traveling across the blue seas.

When the ship reached its destination, the little nihonjin got off. He felt more lost than he had when he first left his homeland. So far, no one was willing to be his friend, a situation that he was not capable of understanding.

He walked through the winding cobbled roads of the seaside town he was in. Nippon is not like this, he thought himself sadly. The farther west he went, the more he missed his homeland, the land of the origin of the sun.

He passed by an open-air cafe and smiled. There, enjoying a strong coffee, was a young man his age. He smiled to himself as hope swelled in his chest. Surely, this boy will be his friend!

He went up to the boy and bowed. "Hello, my name is Yuy. Please forgive me. Please treat me favorably."

The boy took a sip of his coffee and coldly ignored the little nihonjin. "Go away."

The nihonjin was confused. "You don't like me?"

The yooroppajin snorted. "I can't stand you." He took another sip. "I don't like you, I don't want to know you, and, frankly, I wish you'd just go away." The boy said nothing more.

This was too much for the little nihonjin. He traveled half the world to find a friend, and, at each turn, no one wanted to return the favor. With a sad and angry heart, he boarded a ship that would take him home. Unfortunately, the ship developed problems and he found himself in Amerika.

As he waited in one of the bars on the waterfront, a young boy walked up and sat next to him.

The nihonjin did not bother with his speech this time. Amerikajin won't like him either, he was sure.

"Hey," the amerikajin said in greeting when he caught the little nihonjin's eye.

The nihonjin bowed his head slightly. "Hello."

"I'm Duo," the amerikajin said frankly. "What's your name?"

"My name is Yuy," the boy said softly, without any embellishments and humbleness, as he had done in Chuugoku, Arabia, and Yooropa.

"Waiting for a ship out, huh?" Duo grinned when the nihonjin gave him a look. "You have an accent," he said as a way of explanation.

The nihonjin lowered his eyes once more.

"I'm heading for Japan myself," Duo said with some light emotion in his voice. "It's been my dream for years." He gave the boy next to him a smile. "Maybe I'll find a friend there."

"Duo... is that your family name?" The nihonjin's voice was almost fragile in its softness.

"No, Maxwell is."

"When will you be going?"

Duo snorted. "The ship I was gonna board had some engine trouble or something right before it got here from Europe. Don't know when they'll be finished. And you? You're going anywhere nice?"

"Home," he said, his voice still so soft. "It's Heero."

"Uh?"

"My given name is Heero"

Duo gave him a light smile. "Nice to meet you, Heero." He extended his hand. "You'll be my friend?"

Heero gave Duo the faintest of smile. "Yes."

Later that night, two newfound friends made their way west, to Nippon, the land of the origin of the sun.

~~~~end

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